Dr Ashley Compton
Dr Ashley Compton joined BGU in 2000 and has taught on a variety of programmes across the institution. Her main teaching areas are research, mathematics, music and PE. Her master’s degree focused on children’s musical listening preferences, while her doctorate studied the relationships between creativity and assessment on undergraduate teacher education. She is also interested in gymnastics and volunteers as a coach for a local gymnastics club. Before coming to BGU Ashley was a primary teacher, and also worked as an advisory teacher for mathematics for Lincolnshire County Council, spreading the joys of numeracy throughout Lincolnshire.
Teaching
Ashley teaches mostly on the BA (Hons) Primary Education course but also contributes to the primary PGCE and supervises PhD and EdD students. She has created bespoke inset for teachers on mathematics, music, creativity and research, in the UK, Bermuda and at an EU summer school in Crete. Ashley is an accredited Professional Development Lead for mathematics and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Ashley is interested in mathematics and music education, especially related to primary children and initial teacher education. She is also interested in creativity and assessment.
From 2011 to 2014 Ashley took part in Creative Little Scientists, a research project involving 11 institutions from 9 European countries. It was an exploration of creativity in science and mathematics education for 3 to 8 year olds, proposing guidelines, curricula and exemplary materials for teacher training in European contexts. It was funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no.289081. The extensive deliverables resulting from this project are available at: www.creative-little-scientists.eu.
Ashley supported a study in 2017/18 of the impact of digital feedback on children’s learning in mathematics, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation and organised through the Kyra Teaching Alliance.
Ashley has also collaborated with colleagues in the UK and Finland, exploring Year 3 children’s experiences of mathematics lesson through their drawings. She is now investigating the perceptions that primary ITE students have of mathematics, using a similar approach of asking them to draw their ideal mathematics lesson. Some of this research was presented at BCME9 in Warwick, April 2018. As part of AMET, Ashley is investigating induction support for new ITE mathematics tutors.
Dr Compton has supervised to success completion a number of doctoral students (PhD and EdD) and masters students (MA). Areas of supervision expertise include:
- Supporting learners with mathematics
- Experiences of ITE students
- Music education
- Qualitative methods, including drawings
Compton, A. & Boylan, M. (2023). From flexible to restricted mathematics: 15 years of Ofsted mathematics reports. Mathematics Teaching, 289. Pp.31-36. ISSN 0025-5785.
Compton, A. (2021). Reviewing the review. Mathematics Teaching, 278. P.23 ISSN 0025-5785.
Compton, A. (2021) Mathematics in the Primary Classroom. In: Primary Mathematics: Teaching theory and practice. Achieving QTS Series. Sage, London. Pp.11-35. ISBN 9781529726916
Compton, A., McNally, G. and Pardoe, M. (2020) Being mathematical. Mathematics Teaching, 272. pp. 15-19. ISSN 0025-5785
Compton, Ashley, Dickenson, Andrew and Lambert, Sue (2020) Learning and teaching approaches. In: Building skills for effective primary teaching. Learning Matters, London, pp. 65-78. ISBN 978-5264-9215-9
Compton, A., Rogers, E., Johnstone, C. and Wait, D. (2019) Learning about research by doing research: developing student researchers. IMPact The University of Lincoln Journal of Higher Education Research, 5 (1). ISSN 2516-7561
Stylianidou, F., Glauert, E., Rossis, D., Compton, A., Cremin, T., Craft, A., & Havu-Nuutinen, S. (2018). Fostering Inquiry and Creativity in Early Years STEM Education: Policy Recommendations from the Creative Little Scientists Project. European Journal of STEM Education, 3(3), 15. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejste...
Compton, A. (2017). Mastery. In R. Paige, S. Lambert and R. Geeson (Eds.), Building skills for effective primary teaching (pp.111-124). London: Learning Matters.
Clarke, E., Compton, A. and Sharp, J. (2017). Academic writing. In R. Paige, S. Lambert and R. Geeson (Eds.), Building skills for effective primary teaching (pp.235-252). London: Learning Matters.
Cremin, T., Glauert, E., Craft, A., Compton, A. & Stylianidou, F. (2015) Creative Little Scientists: Exploring pedagogical synergies between inquiry-based and creative approaches in Early Years science. Education 3 – 13, 43(4), 404-419.
Compton, A. (2013). Creativity. In R. Woolley & K. Taylor (Eds.), Values and vision in primary education (pp. 33 – 50). Buckingham: Open University Press
Compton, A., Johnston, J., Nahmad-Williams, L. and Taylor, K. (2010). Creative development. London: Continuum
Beckley, P., Compton, A., Johnston, J. and Marland, H. (2010). Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy. London: Continuum
Compton, A. (2010). The rise and fall of creativity in English education. Educationalfutures, 2(2), 26-40
Compton, A. (2007). What does creativity mean in English education? Education 3 – 13, 35(2), 109–116
Compton, A. (2002). Creative music. In J. Johnston, M. Chater & D. Bell (Eds.), Teaching the primary curriculum (pp. 191 – 201) Buckingham: Open University Press
Gladwin, K., Compton, A. & Curtis, F. (2024, April). Shaping up as new initial teacher education maths tutors. Shape Up, Joint maths subject associations conference. Stratford-upon-Avon.
Compton, A., Bamber, S. & Packer, C. (2023, June). Approaches to ITaPs. AMET webinar.
Compton, A. (2022, November). Invited speaker for NEU Ofsted reviews event: Ofsted and Mathematics: Research review or position paper?
Compton, A. (2022, June). Invited speaker for East Midlands ITE Maths Hub: Using Nearpod in ITE mathematics teaching
Townsend, V. & Compton, A. (2022, March). How to make the Ofsted review work. NAMA/AMET conference.
Compton, A. (2022, March). Invited speaker at Westminster Forum: Next steps for Mathematics Education in England
Compton, A. (2018, April). Drawing a mathematics lesson. Paper presented at BCME9 conference, Warwick.
Compton, A. (2014, November). Creativity in science and mathematics in the Early Years. Paper presented at UCET conference, Birmingham.
Compton, A., Glauert, E. and van Houte, H. (2014, March). Encouraging creativity within problem solving and inquiry in early mathematics and science. Workshop at Enabling creativity through Science and Mathematics in Early Years, International conference, Athens, Greece.
Compton, A. and Winter, J. (2014, February). Reflection and reasoning. Workshop at Teaching Science and Mathematics Creatively with young children: Finding opportunities. Institute of Education, London.
Cremin, T. and Compton, A. (2014, February). Creativity in science and mathematics education: myth or reality? Paper presented at Teaching Science and Mathematics Creatively with young children: Finding opportunities. Institute of Education, London.
Association of Mathematics Education Teachers (AMET)
Association of Mathematics Teachers (ATM)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
2024 Angela Barley (EdD) Division, misalignment and the ‘plural practitioner’- Examining policy and practice. A mixed-methods exploration of the assessment practice of Reception year teachers in England. [University of Leicester]
2023 Joy Mullan (EdD) A Case for Travel: Unpacking Teachers’ Perceptions of the Transformative Effects of their Intercultural Experiences. [University of Leicester]
2021 Shaun Thompson (PhD) Under what conditions does the bar model support mathematical problem solving of two-step, real-life, word problems for autistic students? [University of Leicester]
2020 Alison Riley (PhD) Do I really have a choice? The decision making behaviours of post-16 pupils: a qualitative case study. [University of Leicester]
2019 Sara Evan-Bolger (EdD) To what extent can lived experiences and perceptions of drama be modified, positively or negatively, through in-service style CPD training using drama games as a mechanism? [University of Leicester]
2019 Richard Simpkins (EdD) Musical Choice in Year 9 Music. An Evaluative Case Study of Student Music Leadership and Identity. [University of Leicester]